The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promotion Handbook ppt

The CompHP Core Competencies Framework
for Health Promoon Handbook
February 2011
Ms. Colee Dempsey
Ms. Barbara Bael-Kirk
Professor Margaret M. Barry
Health Promoon Research Centre
Naonal University of Ireland Galway
on behalf of
the CompHP Project Partners
The CompHP Project is funded by the Execuve
Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC)
Project number 20081209
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 i
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ii
INTRODUCTION 1
The CompHP Project 1
Context and Raonale for Developing Core Competencies for Health Promoon 1
What are Core Competencies? 2
How were the CompHP Core Competencies developed? 2
Who are the CompHP Core Competencies for? 3
How can the CompHP Core Competencies be used? 4

Core Concepts and Principles Underpinning the CompHP Core Competencies 6
CompHP CORE COMPETENCIES FOR HEALTH PROMOTION FRAMEWORK 7
Ethical Values Underpinning Health Promoon Core Competencies 8
Knowledge Base Underpinning Health Promoon Core Competencies 8
GLOSSARY 13
REFERENCES 18
APPENDIX 1 23
APPENDIX 2 26
Table of Contents entries are clickable links to the appropriate page in the text.


EAHC Project number 20081209
Acknowledgements
The wring team would like to acknowledge the support of the CompHP project partners,
collaborang partners, Internaonal Expert Advisory Group and project stakeholders who have
contributed to the development of this document and the Execuve Agency for Health and
Consumers (EAHC) who provided the funding for the CompHP Project.
Suggested citaon for the document:
Dempsey, C., Bael-Kirk B., Barry M.M. and the CompHP Project Partners (2011), The CompHP
Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon. IUHPE, Paris
Disclaimer
This document was developed as part of the CompHP Project – Developing Competencies and
Professional Standards for Health Promoon Capacity Building in Europe – which received
funding from the European Union, in the framework of the Health Programme (EAHC project
number 20081209).
The informaon and views set out in this document are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reect the views of the Execuve Agency for Health and Consumers or any other
body of the European Union. Neither the European Union instuons and bodies nor any
person acng on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the
informaon contained therein.

The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 1
INTRODUCTION
The core competencies presented in this Handbook were developed as part of a European project
entled ‘Developing Competencies and Professional Standards for Health Promoon Capacity
Building in Europe’ (CompHP)

, which is funded by the Execuve Agency for Health and Consumers.
This is the rst in a series of three Handbooks to be produced by the CompHP project and will be
followed by Handbooks on Professional Standards and a Pan-European Accreditaon Framework
for Health Promoon. The CompHP Project will also publish reports on the processes undertaken
in developing the core competencies, professional standards and accreditaon framework and
their tesng in academic and pracce sengs. The CompHP Handbooks and reports will be widely
disseminated throughout the European Union (EU) member states and candidate countries and
will be available on the CompHP website
1
.
The CompHP Project
The aim of the CompHP project is to develop competency-based standards and an accreditaon
system for health promoon pracce, educaon and training that will have a posive impact on
workforce capacity to deliver public health improvement in Europe. The CompHP Project brings
together 24 European partners from the professional development, policy, pracce and academic
sectors in health promoon. The work of CompHP is also supported by an Internaonal Advisory
Group of experts with experience of the development of health promoon competencies at a
global level (see Appendix 1 for a full list of CompHP partners and members of the Internaonal
Advisory Group).
The CompHP Project employs a consensus building process based on consultaon with key
stakeholders in health promoon across Europe and builds on exisng European and global
competency frameworks for health promoon. In parcular, it is informed by work undertaken by
the European Regional Sub Commiee on Training, Accreditaon and Professional Standards of the

Internaonal Union for Health Promoon and Educaon (IUHPE), which developed and supported
the groundwork for the CompHP Project, including undertaking a feasibility study (1).
Context and Raonale for Developing Core Competencies for Health Promoon
A competent workforce that has the necessary knowledge, skills and abilies in translang policy,
theory and research into eecve acon is recognised as being crical to the future growth and
development of global health promoon (2, 3, 4, 5). Idenfying and agreeing the core
competencies for eecve health promoon pracce, educaon and training is acknowledged
as being an essenal component of developing and strengthening workforce capacity to improve
global health in the 21
st
century (6, 7, 8).
1
hp://www.iuhpe.org/?page=614&lang=en
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
2 EAHC Project number 20081209
Within the pan-European context, health promoon goals are clearly idened in EU strategies
but, there has been no agreement to date on Europe-wide competencies, standards or
accreditaon systems to assure quality standards in reaching those goals. The development of
the CompHP Project was driven by recognion of the need for a coherent competency based
framework that would build on related naonal and internaonal developments. Other key
drivers for the project included: freedom of employment policies highlighng the need for agreed
standards to facilitate employment across the EU; quality assurance issues for pracce, educaon
and training idened within all health elds in Europe; and clarity on workforce capacity required
for promong health and addressing inequalies as idened in EU strategies.
It was also recognised that health promoon is an evolving eld in Europe with a diverse and
growing workforce drawn from a range of disciplines, and operang in a variety of sengs and
across a wide range of polical, economic and social contexts. Given this diversity, there is a need
for core competencies which delineate the specic body of skills, knowledge and experse that
represents, and is disncve to, health promoon pracce (7, 8) to unify and strengthen health
promoon workforce capacity across Europe.

What are Core Competencies?
The denion of competencies used in this Handbook is: ‘a combinaon of the essenal
knowledge, abilies, skills and values necessary for the pracce of health promoon,’ (adapted
from Shilton et al. 2001) (9). Core competencies are dened as the minimum set of competencies
that constute a common baseline for all health promoon roles i.e. ; ‘they are what all health
promoon praconers are expected to be capable of doing to work eciently, eecvely and
appropriately in the eld’ (10).
How were the CompHP Core Competencies developed?
The key elements in the development process for the CompHP Core Competency Framework for
Health Promoon were:
• A review of the internaonal and European literature on health promoon competencies (11)
• An inial dra framework of core competencies based on ndings from the literature review
and consultaon with project partners
• A Delphi survey on the dra core competencies undertaken with health promoon experts
from across Europe to reach consensus
2

• Focus groups with health promoon experts and other key stakeholders from across Europe
2 The sample for the two rounds of the Delphi Survey comprised six representaves from a total of 34 European countries, two from each of the
areas of pracce, policy, and academia selected on, in order of priority: naonal role in health promoon, experience in health promoon, and
experience in the competency approach.
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 3
• Consultaon with health promoon stakeholders across Europe using a web based consultaon
process.
The CompHP project partners and the Internaonal Expert Advisory Group advised on each stage
of the development process. The CompHP core competencies are, therefore, the result of a wide-
ranging consultaon process and draw on the internaonal and European literature, in parcular:
• The domains of core competencies outlined in the Galway Consensus Statement (7), together
with the modicaons to the statement suggested in a global consultaon process

• The core competencies for health promoon developed in Australia (10), Canada (12), New
Zealand (13) and the UK (14)
• Core competencies developed in related elds such as public health (15, 16) and health
educaon (17).
Who are the CompHP Core Competencies for?
The CompHP core competencies are primarily designed for use by health promoon praconers
whose main role and funcon is health promoon and who hold a graduate or post graduate
qualicaon in health promoon or a related discipline
3
,
4
.
A health promoon praconer is dened as a person who works to promote health and reduce
health inequies using the acons described by the Oawa Charter (18):
• building healthy public policy
• creang supporve environments
• strengthening community acon
• developing personal skills
• reorienng health services.

While job tles and academic course tles in dierent countries across Europe may not always
include the term ‘health promoon’, the core competencies are designed to be relevant to all
praconers whose main role reects the denion and principles of health promoon dened
in the Oawa Charter (18). Health promoon praconers require specic educaon and training
together with ongoing professional development to maintain the parcular combinaon of
knowledge and skills required to ensure quality health promoon pracce.
3 Including, for example, public health, health educaon, social sciences including psychology, epidemiology, sociology, educaon, communicaon,
environmental health, community, urban or rural development, polical science. This is not an exclusive list as other academic qualicaons may
also be deemed as appropriate.
4 While a formal qualicaon in health promoon or related discipline is the general required minimum standard for entry into the profession, it is

recognised that there are praconers who entered the eld without a formal qualicaon. For this group, these competencies provide a frame-
work for assessing and helping achieve formal recognion for relevant past experience.
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
4 EAHC Project number 20081209
While the competencies arculated in this Handbook are aimed at entry level praconers,
acquiring a competency is not viewed as a one-me event, but rather an ongoing process. Formal
training is one means of acquiring entry level competencies, however, ongoing learning, through
experience, coaching, feedback and individual learning acvies, is required to develop advanced
competencies and maintain the knowledge and skills required by changing pracce and policy (19).
Much discussion has centred on the appropriate level for these core competencies and it has been
agreed that they are at ‘entry level’ i.e. the level at which a praconer enters pracce. This does
not imply that all health promoon praconers are limited to that level. The core competencies
can, for example, provide the basis for developing more advanced competencies for praconers
working at senior management level in health promoon or inform the development of specialised
competencies for those who work in specic sengs.
It is also recognised that those using the CompHP Core Competencies may wish to idenfy
dierent levels of experse for some or all of the competencies or to emphasise some
competencies to a greater degree than others. However, as these are core competencies, all should
be addressed if they are to be used as the basis for consistent, quality health promoon pracce
which can be recognised internaonally and be accredited though a pan-European accreditaon
system. While these competencies were developed within a Pan-European context they may also
be useful for health promoon competency development in other countries globally.
The competencies can also be useful to those working in other professional areas whose role
includes health promoon (e.g., community health, health educaon) or those in the other sectors
who are involved in partnerships to promote health or create healthy environments
5
.
The matrix presented in Appendix 2 illustrates how the competencies can be used by health
promoon praconers at dierent levels of seniority or experience and also by other
professionals whose role includes health promoon.

How can the CompHP Core Competencies be used?
The purpose of health promoon competencies is to provide a descripon of the essenal
knowledge, abilies, skills and values that are needed to inform eecve pracce. In this context
some countries or organisaons may use the Framework as a standalone document. However,
within the context of the CompHP Project the core competencies are designed to provide a base
of knowledge and skills for pracce that will inform the development of Professional Standards
for Health Promoon and a pan-European Accreditaon Framework. An eecve competency
framework can provide a solid base for workforce development and has a wide range of potenal
useful applicaons across many areas.
5 For example, teachers, community development workers.
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 5
Core Competencies have a key role to play in developing health promoon by (adapted from PHAC,
2008) (16):
• Underpinning future developments in health promoon training and course development
• Connuing professional development
• Providing a basis for systems of accreditaon and development of professional standards
• Consolidaon of health promoon as a specialised eld of pracce
• Accountability to the public for the standards of health promoon pracce.
Core Competencies may promote the health of the public by:
• Contribung to a more eecve workforce
• Encouraging service delivery that is evidence based, populaon-focused, ethical, equitable,
standardised and client-centred
• Forming the basis for accountable pracce and quality assurance.
Core Competencies can benet health promoon praconers by:
• Ensuring that there are clear guidelines for the knowledge, skills and values needed to pracce
eecvely and ethically
• Informing educaon, training and qualicaon frameworks to ensure that they are relevant to
pracce and workplace needs
• Assisng in career planning and idenfying professional development and training needs

• Facilitang movement across roles, organisaons, regions and countries through the use of
shared understandings, qualicaons and, where appropriate, accreditaon systems based on
the competencies
• Promong beer communicaon and team work in muldisciplinary and mulsectoral sengs
by providing a common language and shared understanding of the key concepts and pracces
used in health promoon
• Helping to create a more unied workforce by providing a shared understanding of key
concepts and pracces
• Contribung to greater recognion and validaon of health promoon and the work done by
health promoon praconers.
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
6 EAHC Project number 20081209
Core Competencies can benet health promoon organisaons by:
• Idenfying sta development and training needs
• Providing a basis for job descripons, interview quesons and frameworks for evaluaon and
quality assurance
• Idenfying the appropriate numbers and mix of health promoon workers in a given seng
• Assisng employers and managers to gain a beer understanding of health promoon roles in
individual workplaces and develop appropriate job descripons.
In developing the CompHP Project it was recognised that for some countries and regions the core
competencies may be all that is useful or appropriate for their specic pracce or policy context.
In these instances The CompHP Core Competencies for Health Promoon Handbook may be
used as a ‘standalone’ document. However, within the context of the overall Project, the core
competencies are designed to form the basis for the development of Professional Standards and
a pan-European Accreditaon Framework for Health Promoon as addional tools for health
promoon workforce capacity development across Europe.
Core Concepts and Principles Underpinning the CompHP Core Competencies
The competencies are based on the core concepts and principles of health promoon outlined
in the Oawa Charter (18) and successive World Health Organisaon (WHO) charters and
declaraons on health promoon (5, 20-24). Health promoon is, therefore, understood to be

‘the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health’ (18). Health
promoon is viewed as represenng a comprehensive social and polical process which not only
embraces acon directed at strengthening the skills and capabilies of individuals, but also acons
directed toward changing social, environmental and economic condions which impact on health
(25). Health is dened as ‘a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not
merely the absence of disease or inrmity’ (26). Health is further conceptualised as a resource for
everyday life, emphasising social and personal resources, as well as physical capacies (18).
The CompHP Core Competencies are underpinned by an understanding that health promoon has
been shown to be an ethical, principled, eecve and evidence-based discipline (27, 28) and that
there are well-developed theories, strategies, evidence and values that underpin good pracce in
health promoon (29).
The term ‘health promoon acon’ is used in the core competencies to describe programmes,
policies and other organised health promoon intervenons that are empowering, parcipatory,
holisc, intersectoral, equitable, sustainable and mul-strategy in nature (22) which aim to
improve health and reduce health inequies.
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 7
THE CompHP CORE COMPETENCIES FRAMEWORK FOR HEALTH
PROMOTION
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon comprises domains of core
competency which are illustrated in Figure 1. Ethical Values and the Health Promoon Knowledge
base are depicted as underpinning all Health Promoon acon detailed in the nine other domains.
Ethical values are integral to the pracce of health promoon and inform the context within which
all the other competencies are pracced. The Health Promoon Knowledge domain describes
the core concepts and principles that make health promoon pracce disncve. The remaining
nine domains, including; Enable Change, Advocate for Health, Mediate through Partnership,
Communicaon, Leadership, Assessment, Planning, Implementaon, and Evaluaon and Research,
each deal with a specic area of health promoon pracce with their associated competency
statements arculang the necessary skills needed for competent pracce. It is the combined
applicaon of all the domains, the knowledge base and the ethical values which constute the

CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon.
Figure 1: The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
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The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
8 EAHC Project number 20081209
Ethical Values Underpinning Health Promoon Core Competencies
Ethical values and principles for health promoon include a belief in equity and social jusce,
respect for the autonomy and choice of both individuals and groups, and collaborave and
consultave ways of working.
Ethical health promoon pracce is based on a commitment to:
• Health as a human right, which is central to human development
• Respect for the rights, dignity, condenality and worth of individuals and groups
• Respect for all aspects of diversity including gender, sexual orientaon, age, religion, disability,
ethnicity, race, and cultural beliefs
• Addressing health inequies, social injusce, and priorising the needs of those experiencing
poverty and social marginalisaon
• Addressing the polical, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological
determinants of health and wellbeing
• Ensuring that health promoon acon is benecial and causes no harm

• Being honest about what health promoon is, and what it can and cannot achieve
• Seeking the best available informaon and evidence needed to implement eecve policies
and programmes that inuence health
• Collaboraon and partnership as the basis for health promoon acon
• The empowerment of individuals and groups to build autonomy and self respect as the basis
for health promoon acon
• Sustainable development and sustainable health promoon acon
• Being accountable for the quality of one’s own pracce and taking responsibility for
maintaining and improving knowledge and skills.
Knowledge Base Underpinning Health Promoon Core Competencies
The core competencies require that a health promoon praconer draws on a muldisciplinary
knowledge base of the core concepts, principles, theory and research of health promoon and its
applicaon in pracce.
A health promoon praconer is able to demonstrate knowledge of:
• The concepts, principles and ethical values of health promoon as dened by the Oawa
Charter for Health Promoon (WHO, 1986) and subsequent charters and declaraons
• The concepts of health equity, social jusce and health as a human right as the basis for health
promoon acon
• The determinants of health and their implicaons for health promoon acon
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 9
• The impact of social and cultural diversity on health and health inequies and the implicaons
for health promoon acon
• Health promoon models and approaches which support empowerment, parcipaon,
partnership and equity as the basis for health promoon acon
• The current theories and evidence which underpin eecve leadership, advocacy and
partnership building and their implicaon for health promoon acon
• The current models and approaches of eecve project and programme management
(including needs assessment, planning, implementaon and evaluaon) and their applicaon
to health promoon acon

• The evidence base and research methods, including qualitave and quantave methods,
required to inform and evaluate health promoon acon
• The communicaon processes and current informaon technology required for eecve health
promoon acon
• The systems, policies and legislaon which impact on health and their relevance for health
promoon.

1. Enable Change
Enable individuals, groups, communies and organisaons to build capacity for health
promoon acon to improve health and reduce health inequies.
A health promoon praconer is able to:
1.1 Work collaboravely across sectors to inuence the development of public policies which
impact posively on health and reduce health inequies
1.2 Use health promoon approaches which support empowerment, parcipaon, partnership
and equity to create environments and sengs which promote health
1.3 Use community development approaches to strengthen community parcipaon and
ownership and build capacity for health promoon acon
1.4 Facilitate the development of personal skills that will maintain and improve health
1.5 Work in collaboraon with key stakeholders to reorient health and other services to promote
health and reduce health inequies.
2. Advocate for Health
Advocate with, and on behalf, of individuals, communies and organisaons to improve
health and well-being and build capacity for health promoon acon.
A health promoon praconer is able to:
2.1 Use advocacy strategies and techniques which reect health promoon principles
2.2 Engage with and inuence key stakeholders to develop and sustain health promoon acon
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
10 EAHC Project number 20081209
2.3 Raise awareness of and inuence public opinion on health issues
2.4 Advocate across sectors for the development of policies, guidelines and procedures across all

sectors which impact posively on health and reduce health inequies
2.5 Facilitate communies and groups to arculate their needs and advocate for the resources
and capacies required for health promoon acon.
3. Mediate through Partnership
Work collaboravely across disciplines, sectors and partners to enhance the impact and
sustainability of health promoon acon.
A health promoon praconer is able to:
3.1 Engage partners from dierent sectors to acvely contribute to health promoon acon
3.2 Facilitate eecve partnership working which reects health promoon values and principles
3.3 Build successful partnership through collaborave working, mediang between dierent
sectoral interests
3.4 Facilitate the development and sustainability of coalions and networks for health promoon
acon.
4. Communicaon
Communicate health promoon acon eecvely, using appropriate techniques and
technologies for diverse audiences.
A health promoon praconer is able to:
4.1 Use eecve communicaon skills including wrien, verbal, non-verbal, and listening skills
4.2 Use informaon technology and other media to receive and disseminate health promoon
informaon
4.3 Use culturally appropriate communicaon methods and techniques for specic groups and
sengs
4.4 Use interpersonal communicaon and groupwork skills to facilitate individuals, groups,
communies and organisaons to improve health and reduce health inequies.
5. Leadership
Contribute to the development of a shared vision and strategic direcon for health promoon
acon.
A health promoon praconer is able to:
5.1 Work with stakeholders to agree a shared vision and strategic direcon for health promoon
acon

The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 11
5.2 Use leadership skills which facilitate empowerment and parcipaon (including team work,
negoaon, movaon, conict resoluon, decision-making, facilitaon and problem-
solving)
5.3 Network with and movate stakeholders in leading change to improve health and reduce
inequies
5.4 Incorporate new knowledge to improve pracce and respond to emerging challenges in
health promoon
5.5 Contribute to mobilising and managing resources for health promoon acon
5.6 Contribute to team and organisaonal learning to advance health promoon acon.
6. Assessment
Conduct assessment of needs and assets in partnership with stakeholders, in the context
of the polical, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological
determinants that promote or compromise health.
A health promoon praconer is able to:
6.1 Use parcipatory methods to engage stakeholders in the assessment process
6.2 Use a variety of assessment methods including quantave and qualitave research
methods
6.3 Collect, review and appraise relevant data, informaon and literature to inform health
promoon acon
6.4 Idenfy the determinants of health which impact on health promoon acon
6.5 Idenfy the health needs, exisng assets and resources relevant to health promoon acon
6.6 Use culturally and ethically appropriate assessment approaches
6.7 Idenfy priories for health promoon acon in partnership with stakeholders, based on
best available evidence and ethical values.
7. Planning
Develop measurable health promoon goals and objecves based on assessment of needs
and assets in partnership with stakeholders.
A health promoon praconer is able to:

7.1 Mobilise, support and engage the parcipaon of stakeholders in planning health promoon
acon
7.2 Use current models and systemac approaches for planning health promoon acon
7.3 Develop a feasible acon plan within resource constraints and with reference to exisng
needs and assets
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
12 EAHC Project number 20081209
7.4 Develop and communicate appropriate, realisc and measurable goals and objecves for
health promoon acon
7.5 Idenfy appropriate health promoon strategies to achieve agreed goals and objecves.
8. Implementaon
Implement eecve and ecient, culturally sensive, and ethical health promoon acon in
partnership with stakeholders.
A health promoon praconer is able to:
8.1 Use ethical, empowering, culturally appropriate and parcipatory processes to implement
health promoon acon
8.2 Develop, pilot and use appropriate resources and materials
8.3 Manage the resources needed for eecve implementaon of planned acon
8.4 Facilitate programme sustainability and stakeholder ownership of health promoon acon
through ongoing consultaon and collaboraon
8.5 Monitor the quality of the implementaon process in relaon to agreed goals and objecves
for health promoon acon.
9. Evaluaon and Research
Use appropriate evaluaon and research methods, in partnership with stakeholders, to
determine the reach, impact and eecveness of health promoon acon.
A health promoon praconer is able to:
9.1 Idenfy and use appropriate health promoon evaluaon tools and research methods
9.2 Integrate evaluaon into the planning and implementaon of all health promoon acon
9.3 Use evaluaon ndings to rene and improve health promoon acon
9.4 Use research and evidence-based strategies to inform pracce

9.5 Contribute to the development and disseminaon of health promoon evaluaon and
research processes.
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 13
GLOSSARY
The terms dened in this glossary are based on the references provided but are, in some cases,
slightly reworded to make them more directly relevant to the CompHP Project.
Advocacy: A combinaon of individual and social acons designed to gain polical commitment,
policy support, social acceptance and systems support for a parcular health goal or programme.
Advocacy can take many forms including the use of the mass media and mul-media, direct
polical lobbying, and community mobilisaon through, for example, coalions of interest around
dened issues (30).
Assessment (see also needs assessment): The systemac collecon and analysis of data in order to
provide a basis for decision-making (31).
Capacity Building: The development of knowledge, skills, commitment, structures, systems and
leadership to enable eecve health promoon. It involves acons to improve health at three
levels: the advancement of knowledge and skills among praconers; the expansion of support
and infrastructure for health promoon in organisaons, and; the development of cohesiveness
and partnerships for health in communies (32).
Collaboraon: A recognised relaonship among dierent sectors or groups, which has been
formed to take acon on an issue in a way that is more eecve or sustainable than might be
achieved by one sector or group acng alone (33).
Community Assets: Contribuons made by individuals, cizen associaons, and local instuons
that individually and/or collecvely build the community’s capacity to assure the health, well-
being, and quality of life for the community and all its members (34).
Community Development: Helping communies take control over their health, social and
economic issues by using and building on their exisng strengths. It recognises that some
communies have fewer resources than others, and supports these communies (35).
Competencies: A combinaon of the essenal knowledge, abilies, skills and values necessary for
the pracce of health promoon (Adapted from 9).

Consensus: This term means overwhelming agreement. The key indicator of whether or not a
consensus has been reached is that everyone agrees they can live with the nal proposal aer
every eort has been made to meet any outstanding interests. Most consensus processes seek
unanimity, but sele for overwhelming agreement that goes as far as possible toward meeng the
interests of all stakeholders (36).
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
14 EAHC Project number 20081209
Core Competencies: These competencies constute the minimum sets of competencies that
constute a common baseline for all health promoon roles. They are what all health promoon
praconers are expected to be capable of doing to work eciently, eecvely and appropriately
in the eld (10).
Culture: A socially inherited body of learning including knowledge, values, beliefs, customs,
language, religion, art, etc. (37).
Delphi Method/Technique: A process used to collect and disl the judgments of experts using a
series of quesonnaires interspersed with feedback (38).
Determinants of health: The range of polical, economic, social, cultural, environmental,
behavioural and biological factors which determine the health status of individuals or populaons
(30).
Empowerment for health: A process through which people gain greater control over decisions
and acons which impact on their health. Empowerment may be a social, cultural, psychological
or polical process through which individuals and social groups are able to express their needs,
present their concerns, devise strategies for involvement in decision-making, and achieve polical,
social and cultural acon to meet those needs. Individual empowerment refers to the individuals’
ability to make decisions and have control over their personal life. Community empowerment
involves individuals acng collecvely to gain greater inuence and control over the determinants
of health and the quality of life in their community (30).
Enable: This term means taking acon in partnership with individuals or groups to empower them,
through the mobilisaon of human and material resources, to promote and protect their health. A
key role for health promoon praconers is acng as a catalyst for change by enabling individuals,
groups, communies and organisaon s to improve their health through acons such as providing

access to informaon on health, facilitang skills development, and supporng access to the
polical processes which shape public policies aecng health (30).
Equity / Inequity in health: Equity means fairness. Equity in health means that people’s needs
guide the distribuon of opportunies for well-being. Equity in health is not the same as equality
in health status. Inequalies in health status between individuals and populaons are inevitable
consequences of genec dierences, of dierent social and economic condions, or a result of
personal lifestyle choices. Inequies occur as a consequence of dierences in opportunity which
result, for example in unequal access to health services, to nutrious food, adequate housing
and so on. In such cases, inequalies in health status arise as a consequence of inequies in
opportunies in life (30). See also:
hp://whqlibdoc.who.int/publicaons/2008/9789241563703_eng.pdf
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 15
Ethics: The branch of philosophy dealing with disncons between right and wrong, and with the
moral consequences of human acons. Much of modern ethical thinking is based on the concepts
of human rights, individual freedom and autonomy, and on doing good and not harming (35).
Health: A state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence
of disease or inrmity. Within the context of health promoon, health is considered as a resource
which permits people to lead an individually, socially and economically producve life. The Oawa
Charter (18) emphasises pre-requisites for health which include peace, adequate economic
resources, food and shelter, and a stable eco-system and sustainable resource use. Recognion
of these pre-requisites highlights the inextricable links between social and economic condions,
the physical environment, individual lifestyles and health. These links provide the key to a holisc
understanding of health which is central to the denion of health promoon (30).
Health Promoon: This term refers to the process of enabling people to increase control over, and
to improve their health. Health promoon represents a comprehensive social and polical process,
which not only includes acons directed at strengthening the skills and capabilies of individuals,
but also acon directed towards changing social, environmental and economic condions so as
to alleviate their impact on public and individual health. The Oawa Charter (18) idenes three
basic strategies for health promoon:

• advocacy for health to create the essenal condions for health
• enabling all people to achieve their full health potenal
• mediang between the dierent interests in society in the pursuit of health.
These strategies are supported by ve priority acon areas for health promoon:
• Build healthy public policy
• Create supporve environments for health
• Strengthen community acon for health
• Develop personal skills, and
• Re-orient health services.
Health Educaon: Health educaon comprises planned learning designed to improve knowledge,
and develop life skills which are conducive to individual and community health. Health educaon is
not only concerned with the communicaon of informaon, but also with fostering the movaon,
skills and condence (self-ecacy) necessary to take acon to improve health (30).
Healthy Public Policy: The main aim of healthy public policy is to create a supporve environment
to enable people to lead healthy lives by making healthy choices possible or easier and social and
physical environments health enhancing (20).
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
16 EAHC Project number 20081209
Inequity: See Equity
Leadership: In the eld of health promoon, leadership can be dened as the ability of an
individual to inuence, movate, and enable others to contribute toward the eecveness and
success of their community and/or the organisaon in which they work. It involves inspiring people
to develop and achieve a vision and goals. Leaders provide mentoring, coaching and recognion.
They encourage empowerment, thus allowing other leaders to emerge (33).
Mediate: A process through which the dierent interests (personal, social, economic) of individuals
and communies, and dierent sectors (public and private) are reconciled in ways that promote
and protect health. Enabling change in any context inevitably produces conicts between the
dierent sectors and interests. Reconciling such conicts in ways that promote health requires
input from health promoon praconers, including the applicaon of skills in advocacy for health
and conict resoluon (33).

Needs Assessment: A systemac procedure for determining the nature and extent of health needs
in a populaon, the causes and contribung factors to those needs and the resources (assets)
which are available to respond to these (30).
Partnership: A partnership for health promoon is a voluntary agreement between individuals,
groups, communies, organisaons or sectors to work cooperavely towards a common goal
through joint acon (30) and (33).
Right to Health: In relaon to health, a rights-based approach means integrang human rights
norms and principles in the design, implementaon, monitoring, and evaluaon of all health-
related policies and programmes. These include human dignity, aenon to the needs and rights
of vulnerable groups, and an emphasis on ensuring that health systems are made accessible to
all. The principle of equality and freedom from discriminaon is central, including discriminaon
on the basis of sex and gender roles. Integrang human rights into development also means
empowering poor people, ensuring their parcipaon in decision-making processes which concern
them and incorporang accountability mechanisms which they can access (39).
Sengs for Health Promoon: The places or social contexts in which people live, work and play
and in which in which environmental, organisaonal and personal factors interact to aect health
and wellbeing. Acon to promote health in dierent sengs can take dierent forms including
organisaonal or community development or working on specic health related issues. Examples
of sengs for health promoon acon occurs include: schools, workplace, hospitals, prisons,
universies, villages and cies (30).
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
EAHC Project number 20081209 17
Social Jusce: Refers to the concept of a society that gives individuals and groups fair treatment
and an equitable share of the benets of society. In this context, social jusce is based on the
concepts of human rights and equity. Under social jusce, all groups and individuals are entled
equally to important rights such as health protecon and minimal standards of income (33).
Stakeholder: Individuals, groups, communies and organisaons that have an interest or share in
an issue, acvity or acon (40).
Strategies: broad statements that set a direcon and are pursued through specic acons, i.e.,
those carried out in programmes and projects (34).

Supporve Environments for Health: oer people protecon from threats to health, and enable
people to expand their capabilies and develop self reliance in health (30).
Teamwork: is the process whereby a group of people, with a common goal, work together to
increase the eciency of the task in hand. They see themselves as a team and meet regularly
to achieve and evaluate those goals. Regular communicaon, coordinaon, disncve roles,
interdependent tasks and shared norms are important features (41).
Values: The beliefs, tradions and social customs held dear and honoured by individuals and
collecve society. Moral values are deeply believed, change lile over me and may be, but are not
necessarily, grounded in religious faith such as beliefs about the sancty of life, the role of families
in society, a protecon from harm of children and other vulnerable people. Social values are more
exible and may change as individuals undergo experience and include, for example, beliefs about
the status and roles of women in society, atudes towards use of alcohol, tobacco and other
substances (33).
Vision: A vision expresses goals that are worth striving for and incorporates shared health
promoon ideals and values (34).
Workforce Planning: The strategic alignment of an organisaon’s human resources with the
direcon of its planned service and business (41).
The CompHP Core Competencies Framework for Health Promoon
18 EAHC Project number 20081209
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